


Capture and Release

by Rocket_Sith



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, and bondage, slow build toward trash town, there's also a 99 percent chance I'm going to hell for using Anakin's past like this, there's still fluff though, this was supposed to be kinky bondage fluff but it turned into angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8825887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocket_Sith/pseuds/Rocket_Sith
Summary: Response to kink meme prompt: "Anakin and Obi-Wan have got some sort of relationship or situation worked out that involves Anakin regularly sharing a bed with Obi-Wan and spending the night in some type of restraints. Sex is fine but not necessary."
Anakin's past comes back to haunt him unexpectedly during a mission. What starts as Obi-Wan's attempt to help him face his fears takes on a life of its own and evolves into so much more. 
(Rated T for depictions of slavery and for some pirates who cuss like...well...pirates. Rating may be adjusted as the story progresses. IDK if this is going to turn into anything blatantly sexual, but if it does, it won't be until after Anakin is knighted, and anything that happens will be 100% consensual.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This starts out a month or so before AotC and goes from there. 
> 
> Somebody take my sorry self to church because I am a dirty-ass sinner for writing this fic and using Anakin's past like this. That being said, the view from inside this trash barrel is rather lovely.  
> \---------------------

Pirates. Stupid kriffing pirates. Of all the ridiculous, cliche reasons for a mission to go awry… 

And to make matters worse (or better, depending on one's point of view), it was a completely inept capture by equally inept pirates who were about to get their arses handed to them in 30 seconds flat. 

Or so Obi-Wan thought. 

Normally, Anakin would have found the whole thing hilarious and reveled in the opportunity to show off his combat skills during their escape. That's also what Obi-Wan thought. 

What Anakin had actually done, however, was go still as death, a panicked and faraway glassiness in his eyes as soon as their would-be captors slapped shackles on his wrists. 

Of course, the pirates had no idea they'd just captured a couple of Jedi, and the shackles had no Force inhibiting qualities at all, so there was absolutely nothing either of them should have to worry about. Anakin and Obi-Wan could quite literally pick the locks with their minds, Force-push the pirates out of their way, and be done with it. 

But when Obi-Wan turned to give his apprentice an amused smile, he'd immediately known something was wrong. Thinking perhaps Anakin was merely trying for a ruse, playing the part of the terrified, helpless prisoner in order to give their captors a false sense of security, Obi-Wan prodded at their bond. Disoriented terror echoed back. 

Did Anakin know something Obi-Wan didn't? Was his padawan having a vision? Had the pirates done something to Anakin that Obi-Wan hadn't seen? 

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan whispered, trying to capture the younger man's attention. No response. "Anakin! Are you quite alright?" 

"Hey!" one of the pirates shouted, aiming a blaster in their direction. "Shut up over there!" 

Obi-Wan ignored the pirate and focused his attention back on his apprentice, who seemed oblivious to his surroundings. At a loss for what to do, but not wanting to make any sudden movements to provoke blaster fire from their captors, Obi-Wan slowly reached over and tugged on the chain connecting Anakin's wrists. 

This was definitely the wrong response. Anakin let loose a primal roar and swung at Obi-Wan with his bound wrists, attempting to bring the hard steel cuffs down on his mentor's skull. 

With a startled shout, Obi-Wan jumped out of the way, yelling Anakin's name as he did. _So much for strategically timing our escape_ , Obi-Wan thought as he dodged the frenzied attack and looked up to find several of the pirates racing toward them with their blasters out. 

Obi-Wan sighed, and with a brief nudge at the Force, the shackles popped off his wrists. A split second later, his lightsaber blazed to life in his hands. 

"Oy! What the kark is this fairy shit?" one of the pirates yelled, stopping dead in his tracks and staring slack-jawed at Obi-Wan. "The schutta's got a laser sword! Where'd he get that?" 

"Ask my arse, you kriffing idiot!" another shouted, glaring daggers at his crewmate. "That's a thrice-karkin' lightsaber! Yeh captured a Jedi, yeh bantha fuckin' clod!"

Another pirate, whom Obi-Wan presumed to be the captain, rounded the corner, took one look at the situation, and turned whiter than the surface of Hoth. "You tried to capture a Jedi?! What the fuck is wrong with you, mate? You trying to get us locked and loaded on every Republic law enforcement radar from here to Coruscant?" 

The first pirate continued to gape at Obi-Wan, opening and closing his mouth like a fish until an old, grizzled looking member of the crew roughly shoved him back. "Smooth move, ya bloody greenhorn! Let's get the fuck outta here before we're all dead."

The pirates made a hasty retreat, and it was all Obi-Wan could do not to laugh as the ragtag group of startled hoodlums frantically scrambled away.

"If only all our hostile encounters were this easily settled," he said with wry amusement, turning to look at his apprentice… who was curled up on the ground, visibly trembling. 

At this point, Obi-Wan was fairly sure the pirates had done something to Anakin that had escaped his notice. Had they injured him? Slipped him some type of mind altering drug? He was tempted to chase them down and find out, but leaving Anakin alone in this state didn't seem like a particularly good plan. 

Obi-Wan cautiously knelt down next to his terrified padawan but made no move to touch him, not wanting to frighten the younger man into another blind attack. 

"Anakin, can you hear me?" he asked. "Hold out your arms so I can get those shackles off. Then we can figure out what's wrong and get you fixed up."

The trembling subsided a bit, but other than that, Anakin gave no indication he was at all aware of his surroundings. 

"Anakin, please," Obi-Wan said, cautiously leaning closer to his friend. "It's only me. I'm not going to harm you, but I need to know if you're injured or in need of medical attention."

Anakin partially uncurled his body and looked up at Obi-Wan, his eyes still wide and unfocused. With a flick of Obi-Wan's wrist, the shackles on Anakin's arms popped open and fell to the dirt with a dull thud. 

Anakin's eyes followed them, staring at them sitting benignly on the ground for a long moment, like he was expecting them to come to life and attack him. Then slowly, his breathing evened out. He finally turned his gaze back to Obi-Wan, and much to the older man's relief, Anakin seemed fully alert, if a bit disoriented. A quick scan of their Force bond confirmed the overwhelming panic and terror had mostly subsided. 

Obi-Wan offered Anakin a hand and helped pull him to his feet. "Padawan, are you quite alright?"

"I'm fine," Anakin bit out, anger and frustration swirling in the Force as he spoke. Obi-Wan could tell through their bond the harsh emotions weren't aimed at him, but he was still concerned, and he let it show on his face. "I'm fine," Anakin repeated tersely. "Let's go."

If Obi-Wan had learned anything from his years spent with Anakin, it was that pressing the boy to talk when he wasn't ready was a guaranteed recipe for a fight and not much else. 

"Very well," Obi-Wan said, gently sending a wave of calm through their bond. "Come along, then. Let's get back to the ship."

When Anakin followed the entire way without comment or complaint, Obi-Wan knew for sure something was extremely wrong. 

Anakin continued to say nothing the entire way back to Coruscant, isolating himself in the ship's cockpit while he piloted them back home. Once they'd reached the Temple, Obi-Wan gave a quick mission debrief to the Council, then headed back to his and Anakin's shared quarters, where he found his padawan slumped on the couch, tinkering with a half-built droid that looked like some type of pocket-sized astromech.

Anakin briefly looked up, then turned his attention back to the droid, still saying nothing. A quick peek at their bond revealed the same anger and frustration he'd felt earlier, most of it aimed inward, some of it seemingly directed at the cosmos in general.

It would seem to anyone else that Anakin was merely pouting, but for the second time today, Obi-Wan's extensive experience with his padawan's psyche let him know that everything was not as it appeared. 

Not that Anakin was above pouting, of course, but he'd seen Anakin pout on countless occasions, and this simply wasn't how he did it. His padawan had always experienced a wide variety of intense emotions that didn't always translate neatly into words, and sometimes those feelings would manifest themselves in Anakin's physical and behavioral quirks - a complex coded language in its own right. 

Wandering into the kitchen to brew tea, Obi-Wan mentally assessed the situation as he worked. The fact that Anakin was sitting in the living room rather than sequestering himself in his bedroom showed he was open to having a conversation, but didn't want to be the one to start it. He was building a droid instead of hacking up practice dummies in the training salle or sneaking off to race speeders in the underworld, which meant he was restless and trying to mentally work through something, rather than angry at an outside source or simply frustrated with the confines of Jedi life. 

_Time to get to the bottom of this_ , Obi-Wan thought to himself as he started to pour two mugs of tea, then stopped after the first. He grabbed a jug of fresh azure bantha milk out of the fridge instead, and filled the second mug. The stuff was extremely fatty and sweet, and a Proper Jedi would only use it as a culinary ingredient or to lightly flavor a cup of caf - which of course meant Anakin loved to drink it straight. 

If Anakin's brain wasn't currently set to verbal communication mode, a nonverbal gesture would have to be how the conversation starts. Not for the first time, Obi-Wan wondered if his extensive negotiation skills came from having Anakin as a padawan. After nearly a decade of decoding that boy's behavior and negotiating peace between him and the Council, hostile foreign war lords were a piece of cake. 

Putting the jug back in the fridge, Obi-Wan walked into the living room and took a seat next to Anakin on the couch, holding the cup of milk out to his apprentice. 

It seemed to have the desired effect. Anakin didn't say anything, but grateful affection flickered through their bond as he set the half-built droid down on the coffee table in front of the couch and gave Obi-Wan the first genuine smile he'd seen out of the boy all day.

As Obi-Wan pressed the mug into Anakin's now-empty hands, he was rewarded with a lopsided grin before Anakin took a few giant gulps. "My savior," he said, chugging down the rest and setting the empty mug on the coffee table next to the droid, then tucking his knees to his chest and leaning against Obi-Wan's side.

Obi-Wan lifted his arm to allow Anakin close to him, somewhat surprised when Anakin scooted in and rested his head on his chest. Anakin had always been a highly tactile person and he'd thrived on physical affection from the moment Obi-Wan had met him, but he seemed to seek it out less and less as he got older. Obi-Wan would be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss this side of his apprentice, but he took no joy in the knowledge that Anakin was resorting to physical touch out of pained necessity rather than because he simply wanted to be held.

Obi-Wan let his padawan rest silently against him for a while, sending waves of calming affection through their bond. "What happened today?" he finally asked. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Anakin pressed himself more closely against Obi-Wan but didn't look up at him. "It's stupid," he muttered. _I'm stupid_ , echoed through the Force bond. 

Obi-Wan tightened his arm around his padawan's shoulders, drawing Anakin closer to him. "I highly doubt that," he said, responding to both the spoken and unspoken sentiments. Anakin gave no response at all, so Obi-Wan tried again. "Did the pirates do something to you? Did they attempt to harm you somehow?"

Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan silently for a moment. "No, they didn't…" then he huffed and cast his eyes downward. "It was the shackles. They brought back memories. Not just memories. It seemed so...so real! As soon as I felt them on my wrists and heard the chain rattle, it's like I was back on Tatooine."

_Oh Force._ "Anakin, I'm so sorry. I wish you'd told me something like this might happen if we were to get captured."

Anakin pulled back and desperately looked at Obi-Wan. "I didn't know! I didn't think I'd react like that to a bunch of incompetent, third-rate space bandits! Those guys were a joke! There was no danger there at all, and the shackles weren't even Force-proof. They were harmless hunks of metal, and I completely lost my mind!"

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Anakin again, pulling him tightly against his chest. "It's not your fault," he murmured softly, tucking Anakin's braid behind his ear. "Our minds can play devious tricks on us sometimes."

"But I feel so weak and useless," he said miserably, burying his face in Obi-Wan's shoulder. "What kind of Jedi starts spitting and clawing like a freaked out loth-cat over absolutely nothing?"

"A human one," Obi-Wan said simply. "And it clearly wasn't nothing."

Anakin raised his head and gave Obi-Wan a skeptical look. 

"You are strong. And brave. And you're going to be a Knight very soon. You've overcome incredible obstacles, and you continue to grow in the Force each day. If something unsettled you this badly, it's not because you're weak. It's because something serious happened, and you weren't sure how to conquer your fears in the moment. That doesn't mean you can't learn." 

"How am I supposed to do that?" Anakin asked. "Put a personal ad on the holonet asking for a bunch of half-ass pirates to come to the temple and kidnap me so I can practice not having a breakdown?" 

Obi-Wan chuckled. "As amusing as the results of that ad might be, I don't believe summoning pirates to the temple is advisable. Or necessary."

"Aww, too bad," Anakin said, a spark of mischief glinting in his eye. "I was hoping if I paid them extra, they'd kidnap Windu instead. Maybe sell him somewhere on the Outer Rim."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan chided, trying to keep the humor out of his voice. As much as Obi-Wan was trying to teach Anakin to respect the Council, Mace had been unfairly harsh toward the boy since day one, and Obi-Wan couldn't entirely fault Anakin for not taking kindly to it.

"Nevermind, Master. You're right. That would never work. As soon as Windu opened his mouth, the Hutts would pay the pirates to get him off planet as quick as possible and bring him back here." 

Obi-Wan affectionately rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Anakin, but hiring pirates to invade the temple is going to have to wait. It's simply not in our budget right now."

Anakin laughed and relaxed into his Master's arms. "Too bad. I had such lofty plans."

\-----------------------------

The following evening, Anakin stepped out of the shower, pulled on his sleep clothes, and padded into the main area of his and Obi-Wan's shared quarters. Obi-Wan was sitting on the couch, absorbed in a datapad. "Enjoying your holo-porn again, Master?" Anakin teased, knowing full well Obi-Wan was watching no such thing. 

Obi-Wan feigned offense and shook his head, then put the datapad aside and gestured for Anakin to join him on the couch. 

"I was unable to locate a convincing pirate costume," the older Jedi began, "but I would like to try something, if it's alright with you."

Anakin slowly approached the couch, regarding Obi-Wan warily. As he got closer, he noticed his Master was holding a pair of durasteel shackles, and he immediately took a giant step back. 

"What do you plan to do with those?" Anakin asked, keeping a safe distance but not letting his eyes leave the cuffs.

"Put them on you, if you'll allow it," Obi-Wan said, calm as a gentle breeze.

"Why in the Sith kriffing hells..."

"Because it will give you an opportunity practice calming your mind."

Anakin incredulously wrinkled his nose, and Obi-Wan benignly held out the shackles for Anakin's inspection. 

"I've disabled the locking mechanism," the older Jedi said, demonstrating as he effortlessly popped the cuffs open, then shut again. "They release with the push of a button. You can remove them yourself at any time." 

After a cautious step forward, Anakin took the shackles from Obi-Wan's hand. He popped the cuffs open and closed a few times, confirming that it was indeed as effortless as it appeared, and then he examined the chain. It was heavy and clunky and about four inches long. The shackles would definitely be restrictive, but he'd have more than enough leeway to easily reach the release clasps without having to contort his wrists. 

"Alright, fine," Anakin muttered, handing the shackles back to Obi-Wan and taking a seat on the couch.

The older man wrapped his arm around Anakin's shoulders, projecting calmness and serenity through their bond. "Remember, you're in control here. You can take them off at any time, or ask me to remove them for you. Do you understand?" 

Anakin gave Obi-Wan another wary glance, then nodded. "Yeah, I understand. Just get it overwith."

Anakin closed his eyes and focused on steadying his heart rate as he felt his Master reach for his arm. Cool metal closed around one wrist, then the other, and Anakin sat absolutely still, trying to capture the fear that blossomed in his chest and release it to the Force. 

"Alright?" Obi-Wan asked, rubbing soothing patterns on his Padawan's back.

Anakin let out a deep breath, forcing the tension out of his muscles and trying to make himself relax. "Yeah. I'm okay," he said uneasily, leaning into the touch. The chain clanked loudly with his movement, and suddenly, he was somewhere else. 

_Twin suns blazing down, scorching sand against his feet, its prickly grains working their way under the steel bands on his ankles, scraping against his skin. A crack of a whip, a Huttese curse, a loud clank of chain and hot granules of sand grinding into his knees after he stumbles while trying to dodge. Another gruff curse, a sharp pain in his shoulders and another metallic clank as he's roughly pulled to his feet by the chain on his wrists._

_Then a voice in his head, calm and gentle and blessedly familiar though he couldn't quite place it...._

"You're home, dear one. You're in the temple. You're safe." 

Anakin leaned forward, choking back bile as the world around him came rushing back. He was a Jedi, not a slave. He was a citizen of Coruscant, not a piece of property on Tatooine. There was no sand, no whips, just Obi-Wan's gentle hand against his back, and a discarded pair of shackles lying harmlessly on the floor, looking like they'd been haphazardly flung there. They probably had. Anakin groaned and buried his face in his hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, y'all, thanks so much for the kudos and comments! I almost didn't post this fic at all because I was sitting here giving myself a super judgey look all like "ya know, this is pretty trash-tacular even for you, and there's no way in hell anyone in their right mind is gonna want to read this shit." So! Thank you for setting me straight on that front and demonstrating the unifying power of the Obikin trash barrel. ♥  
> \------------------

The following night, Anakin strode purposefully into the sitting room, determination flaring in his Force signature. "I want to try again," he said simply, taking a seat next to Obi-Wan on the couch.

Obi-Wan didn't have to ask what Anakin was talking about, and he wasn't even particularly surprised. He knew his apprentice to be incredibly stubborn and not someone to willingly accept defeat, not from his past nor anything else. 

But just because he was unsurprised didn't mean he was unconcerned. Anakin hadn't merely been frightened, he'd had a full-scale dissociative flashback, and Obi-Wan had experienced first hand just how bad it was when he'd entered Anakin's mind to pull him back to reality. Under no circumstances was he about to subject his apprentice to those horrors again. 

But at the same time, he couldn't refuse to help him either, especially when Anakin was trusting him enough to admit he needed help in the first place. 

"Are you certain you want to try again so soon?" Obi-Wan asked. 

Anakin stubbornly squared his shoulders and clenched his jaw. "Yes." A pause, then more forcefully, "Yes! Those karking slaver assholes...I'm not theirs anymore, but until I get past this, I will be."

Well that settled that. "I'm quite proud of you, you know," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep from smiling at the baffled look on his Padawan's face. "Facing your fears is no easy task, and I realize how difficult it is for you to ask for help when you need it. You're going to be an incredible Knight."

Obi-Wan felt both of Anakin's hands on his, squeezing tightly, and his Padawan favored him with a brilliant grin. "Thank you, Master. That… that means a lot."

"I only say it because it's the truth." Obi-Wan reluctantly extracted his hands from Anakin's grip and leaned over the side of the couch, reaching for the nearby desk. He opened the top drawer and withdrew the shackles, then turned back to Anakin. "Do you know what it was that triggered your memories last night?" he asked. "You seemed to be holding up quite well for a few moments, then you were suddenly elsewhere."

"Ugh. Yeah. It was the kriffing noise the damn things made. I wasn't expecting it and it startled me."

Obi-Wan had somewhat suspected this was the answer, and he'd devised what he hoped would be a solution. "Then let's take this one step at a time." He pulled one of the fabric tabards off his tunic and wound it around the chain of the shackles, tucking the ends of the soft cotton strip into the links attached to the cuffs. "This should take care of the problem for the time being," he said, once again holding out the shackles for Anakin's inspection. 

Anakin gingerly took them from Obi-Wan's hand, holding them away from his body like they were a serpent ready to strike. He gave them a firm shake, then handed them back, seemingly satisfied with the tabard's effect. "Alright," he said, taking a deep breath and holding out his hands.

Obi-Wan gently grasped one of Anakin's wrists and slowly closed the cuff around it, closely watching his Padawan's eyes for any sign of panic. Nervousness trickled through their bond, but Anakin kept his eyes locked on Obi-Wan's and nodded for him to continue. The second cuff clicked shut, and Anakin still didn't break eye contact. 

"Alright so far?" Obi-Wan asked, drawing Anakin into his arms. 

Anakin stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into the touch, resting against Obi-Wan's side. "Yeah. I'm fine," he said, and though he wasn't lying, he was still incredibly tense and fighting hard to maintain control. 

Obi-Wan rubbed Anakin's shoulder and sent a pulse of _peacecomfortsafety_ through their bond. Then he spotted his datapad on the coffee table, and as he leaned forward to pick it up, Anakin shot him a curious look. Flipping the device on, he pulled up the schematics of a starfighter engine - a starfighter he knew to be an inferior model in Anakin's opinion, according to an overheard conversation his padawan had been having with a technologically inclined peer the other day. 

He held the screen so Anakin could see it. "While I've got you here, I thought I might ask you to take a look at this. With some of the conflicts the Jedi have been called upon to mediate lately, the Council thinks it might be wise for the temple to invest in a few new starfighters to have on hand. This is the model they've decided on. Are you familiar with it?"

Indignant outrage spiked through their bond and Anakin went from looking mildly uneasy to looking downright scandalized. _Bingo_. "What kriffing idiot thinks these useless pieces of flying bantha shit are good for anything other than scrap metal?! Karking hells, Master! What kind of nerf-brained plan has the Council got in mind this time, mediating conflicts by staging a kamikaze mission? Because that's about the only thing these hunks of junk can reliably do! Crash and burn!"

Obi-Wan quickly shielded to keep Anakin from picking up his thoughts as he released his amusement to the Force. "What exactly is the problem with them? Perhaps if you give me more details, I can speak with the Council and ask them to reconsider."

"What _isn't_ the problem?" Anakin practically squawked. "They're built like utter poodoo, their use of fuel is completely inefficient, their H-drives are about as reliable as a Jawa running a ponzi scheme - you'll get spit out of hyperspace in the middle of Sith knows where…" Anakin continued to rant about the seemingly endless shortcomings of the starfighter model, and Obi-Wan dutifully hung onto every word, prompting for more details whenever he could. Anything to keep his apprentice focused on subpar spaceships and not on his bound arms. 

Anakin eventually reached for the data pad and then froze mid sentence, his body going rigid as the cuffs pulled against his wrists. Thankfully the chain remained muted by the fabric tabard, but he was still clearly startled by the restraints reminding him of their presence. Obi-Wan reached for his Padawan's arms and looped a finger around the padded chain, meaning to guide Anakin's hands back down to his lap. Instead, Anakin violently jerked away, eyes going wide as panic surged through their bond.

_Kriff!_ Obi-Wan thought, immediately removing his hand. Tugging on the chain had been what set Anakin off when they'd been captured as well. At least he hadn't reacted with violence this time, but the fear was unmistakable. Obi-Wan made a mental note to ask about it later and not do it again without giving Anakin plenty of warning. For now, he needed to get the shackles off and help his apprentice calm back down. 

__"Are you still with me, young one?" he asked gently, searching Anakin's eyes._ _

__Anakin nodded, then bent his wrists to prod at the release buttons on the cuffs. They immediately popped open and fell harmlessly to the couch._ _

__"Yeah, I think I'm done with these for the night," he said, handing them back to Obi-Wan. The older man untangled his tabard from the chain and leaned over to place the shackles back in the desk drawer, out of sight and hopefully out of mind._ _

__"You did quite well," Obi-Wan said, holding out his arms in invitation to Anakin, who seemed content to curl back up against his Master's side. "And I'm sorry to have frightened you."_ _

__"S'okay," Anakin said, closing his eyes and resting his head on Obi-Wan's chest. "Just don't pull on the cuffs again without telling me first. I'll be okay with it eventually, it's just too much too soon right now."_ _

__\-------------------------_ _

__The next night, Anakin once again sat down next to Obi-Wan on the couch, steeling his nerves and drawing on the Force to help him defeat his fears._ _

__He'd lasted way longer than he thought he would the previous night, and he'd actually been fairly relaxed for a while, but the sudden jerk on the chain had brought memories crashing back that he hadn't prepared himself to deal with._ _

__Obi-Wan knew not to do it now, but that just made Anakin all the more determined to learn not to be scared by it. _ _One step at a time,_ he told himself as Obi-Wan reached into the desk drawer to retrieve the wrist cuffs. _ _ _

__"Would you like me to wrap the chain again to keep it silent?"_ _

__Anakin was tempted to say yes, but training wheels had never been his style. "No, it's okay. Just get me talking about engines again or make up some other bantha shit to distract me." At Obi-Wan's somewhat guilty expression, Anakin burst out laughing. "I gotta hand it to you, Master, that was pretty clever, but I know you made it up. I asked the hangar workers today and none of them knew anything about a plan to get new ships. They also said nobody in their right mind would ever order that starfighter you showed me unless they were ordering it for an enemy as an act of sabotage."_ _

__Obi-Wan grinned ruefully and Anakin scooted up against him, leaning into his side. Even if facing a lifelong fear was proving to be a difficult challenge, there was no denying the silver lining - it felt wonderful to have an excuse to curl up in his Master's arms without feeling like a needy youngling._ _

__When he'd first come to the temple, he'd crawled into Obi-Wan's bed at night on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes it was because he was frightened or having nightmares, but most the time, he simply wanted the physical proximity. Obi-Wan had never once turned him away or chastised him for it, but as Anakin learned to adapt to temple life, he got the distinct impression that a need for physical affection - or for that matter, any affection - was considered a silly habit of crechelings that needed to be outgrown as soon as possible._ _

__Anakin had already felt like enough of an outcast as it was, and he desperately longed for Obi-Wan's approval. He couldn't keep behaving like a frightened child in front of his Master, so he'd forced himself to begin resisting the urge to seek out physical contact. He'd succeeded, and he'd even convinced himself he didn't really want it anymore, but these past few days had proven just how wrong he'd been and just how much he'd missed it._ _

__A gentle hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present moment. "Let me see your arms," Obi-Wan instructed gently. Anakin obediently held out his hands and closed his eyes, bracing himself for a wave of panic to set in when he felt the metal close around his wrists._ _

__Oddly enough, it never came._ _

__Obi-Wan gently pulled Anakin into his arms, and he winced when his movement caused the chain to clank, but he soon realized he was creating far more stress for himself than the shackles were. He kept expecting himself to lose his mind again, and that was the major source of the problem._ _

__"Master?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking up at Obi-Wan._ _

__"Are you alright?" came the concerned reply._ _

__"Yeah, I'm fine. Could you pull up more starfighters on the datapad? Any types you can find. Just show them to me, and I'll tell you whether they suck or not."_ _

__Obi-Wan's chest shook with silent laughter as he reached for the datapad and held it where Anakin could see, pulling up a catalogue of the latest starfighter models from across the galaxy._ _

__Anakin cringed at the first one that came up on the screen. "Total shit!" he declared, shaking his head. "That manufacturer used to be really good, but all they've got going for them now is brand recognition and a bunch of idiot loyalist followers who don't realize they haven't made anything worth flying in over a decade."_ _

__Obi-Wan scrolled to the next image and Anakin's heart skipped a beat. "That is the sexiest ship I've ever seen," he said. "I'd whore myself out on Coruscant's seediest lower levels if it meant I could afford one of those."_ _

__"Anakin!"_ _

__"What? It's a sexy ship!"_ _

__Anakin grinned as he swore he heard his Master mutter _'uncivilized'_ under his breath before he scrolled to the next ship. It was a hunk of junk. _ _

__"Poodoo. Next."_ _

__Scroll._ _

__"Really ugly poodoo."_ _

__Scroll._ _

__"Poodoo with a fancy paint job."_ _

__Scroll._ _

__"Kriffing hells! You know that other ship? The sexy one? Yeah, I'm breaking up with it. From now on, I sell my body only for this beauty right here."_ _

__Obi-Wan was audibly laughing now, and he scrolled to the next ship._ _

__"Meh," Anakin said. "I might knock off a liquor store or rig a sabacc game to afford it, but it's not prostitution worthy."_ _

__"And what exactly do you know about rigging sabacc games?" Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow._ _

__"Nothing that I'm going to admit to. Why are you more concerned about the possibility of me rigging a sabacc game than committing armed robbery or whoring myself out? Geez, Master, I worry about your priorities sometimes. What kind of padawan are you trying to raise?"_ _

__"One who will be able to fall back on rigging sabacc games if his aspirations of armed robbery and prostitution don't prove lucrative enough for his liking."_ _

__"MASTER!" To say Anakin was shocked would be an understatement. Uncontrollable laughter overtook him, and his shoulders convulsed with it, causing the chain on his wrists to rattle with a loud clank. It startled him briefly, but his amusement kept it from truly registering in his mind._ _

__Once he caught his breath, he leaned back against the couch, still unable to completely stop snickering. He brought his arms up to wipe the tears from his eyes, and the chain rattled again, somewhat more quietly. He gave it a dirty look, then pushed it out of his mind._ _

__"Are you ready to take them off now?" Obi-Wan asked, laughter still alight in his eyes._ _

__Anakin started to automatically say yes, but he stopped himself when he realized he really didn't need them off yet, and he was actually having a fairly enjoyable evening. "No, I'm fine. I think you should pull up more ships so we can finish planning my career path. So far I'm getting kicked out of the Order for gambling, hooking, and robbing a booze barn."_ _

__"Well I hope not all in the same night."_ _

__"Of course not. That would be exhausting."_ _

__"Alright, good. I had to make sure. It's a relief to know you're thinking this through and not simply rushing into things."_ _

__Anakin grinned and rested his head on his Master's shoulder, reaching his hand toward the datapad and scrolling to the next ship. The chain tugged on his wrists as he moved, but oddly enough, he wasn't particularly bothered._ _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a ton for the comments, y'all! It really means a lot to me, especially since this fic is equal parts "I can't believe I'm writing this" and "I'm so totally writing this and I'm probably going straight to hell for it and I DON'T CARE." But - yeah. Hopefully I'm managing to successfully walk the line in the "getting the balance right" sense of the word as opposed to the "you just got pulled over for a fanfic field sobriety test and subsequently sent to AO3 jail, b/c YOU ARE DRUNK GO HOME" sense of the word.
> 
> Anyways! Happy Holidays, have some more trash barrel fanfic.  
> \---------------------------------
> 
> \----------------

About a week later, Obi-Wan found himself removing the lock mechanisms from a second pair of shackles after Anakin surprised him by asking to have his ankles bound as well. 

It wasn't that Obi-Wan hadn't suspected it would need to be addressed at some point - he was fairly sure it would, given what he'd seen in Anakin's memory - but he wasn't expecting Anakin to ask, and definitely not this soon. As much as he admired Anakin's determination to overcome his fear, he still worried his bull-headed padawan was pushing himself too far. 

Anakin, however, would hear none of it. The younger man was currently sitting barefoot and cross-legged next to him on the couch, eyeing the cuffs on his wrists like he wasn't quite sure what to make of them. While Anakin's fear had seemed to subside a bit more with each passing night, Obi-Wan still felt a sharp spike of uneasiness crackle through their bond whenever he cuffed his padawan's arms. Each time, Obi-Wan countered it with a wave of affection and serenity, and as the days progressed, the calmness took less and less time to take hold. 

This evening in particular, the nervous energy from Anakin's end had seemed to subside remarkably quickly as the younger man opened himself to the peacefulness his master projected. Obi-Wan still wasn't entirely sure binding his padawan's ankles was a good idea quite yet, but once Anakin had made up his mind about something, trying to talk him out of it was usually far more trouble than letting him simply go ahead with it - even if it meant dealing with unpleasant or downright ridiculous consequences later. 

"Will those pop open like the other ones?" Anakin asked, watching as Obi-Wan finished altering the ankle shackles.

Obi-Wan nodded and held the cuffs out to Anakin. "Would you like to see them?" 

It was all the older man could do not to chuckle aloud as Anakin wrinkled his nose with the exact same distaste he showed whenever he had to choke down a ration bar for a meal. "I'll take that as a no," Obi-Wan said, allowing his amusement to show in his eyes.

Anakin quickly popped the wrist shackles off, freeing his hands. "I don't want to try both at once until I know I won't freak out from the ankle cuffs," he explained. "If I end up going into crazy loth-cat mode again, we're probably both better off if you can snap me out of it before I have a chance to sharpen my claws on the furniture. Or on you."

Setting the discarded shackles aside on the coffee table and reaching for the new pair in his lap, Obi-Wan placed a gentle hand on Anakin's ankle and motioned for him to extend his leg. 

After a moment's hesitation, Anakin allowed Obi-Wan to grasp his foot. "If you tickle me, I'm gonna kick your ass," he warned, the nervous timbre of his voice and growing uneasiness in his Force signature betraying the false calm he'd been clearly trying to project. 

Obi-Wan responded by lightly brushing his fingertips over the sole of Anakin's foot, causing the younger man's toes to involuntarily flex as he bit back a sharp laugh. _At least he's smiling now,_ Obi-Wan thought, relieved to see a bit of the nervousness released from his padawan's Force signature. 

"Actually, why don't you come here," Obi-Wan said, reaching to pull Anakin toward him and turning him so the younger man's back was leaning against his chest. "I don't want you to have to move around in these if you aren't ready yet."

As Anakin's body relaxed into the loose embrace, his head tilted back to rest on Obi-Wan's shoulder, an intense mix of emotions flickering in his wide blue eyes. 

"Remember, these don't lock," Obi-Wan reminded him softly, reaching around Anakin to lightly grasp his ankle with one hand, the new pair of shackles clutched in the other. The chain on the ankle cuffs was nearly a foot long, so they wouldn't be quite as restrictive as the wrist cuffs - _unless Anakin tries to walk in them or do something equally absurd_ , his inner voice added - but they were still heavy enough and noisy enough to make their presence known. 

A weak smile appeared on Anakin's face, and the depth of trust in the younger man's eyes made Obi-Wan's heart swell with affection. Lowering his shields, he allowed it to flow through their bond while he reached across the surface of Anakin's mind, helping to soothe the building uneasiness that simmered there. 

"Alright?" Obi-Wan asked, waiting for permission from Anakin to continue. After a terse nod from his padawan, Obi-Wan clicked one of the shackles closed, carefully monitoring the Force bond for any sign of distress. He felt a small tremor of nervous energy, but Anakin seemed to quickly push it away.

"Go ahead and do the other one," Anakin said quickly. "I'm fine. I just don't want to drag it out."

Obi-Wan hesitated long enough to make sure Anakin had steadied his energy, and then with a light pulse of _you're safe, you're at peace_ sent through their bond, he clicked the second cuff closed around Anakin's other ankle. 

Anakin's shoulders physically tensed this time, and Obi-Wan immediately gathered his padawan close to him, tucking the blond head under his chin, watching his own auburn strands fall forward to brush against his padawan's cheeks. 

"How do you feel?" Obi-Wan asked, carefully probing their Force bond.

"Your hair is soft."

"That's not what I asked, dear one."

"I'm okay, I think." Anakin's shields started to come up, but then they froze in place and slightly lowered again, the younger man shooting an apologetic glance toward his master. Anakin tended to automatically raise his shields when he felt vulnerable rather than release things to the Force, a defense mechanism the boy had adopted early on in his training - though Obi-Wan had long been trying to break him of the habit of isolating himself in the Force when it was only the two of them around. 

Anakin stared warily at his feet. "It's not as bad as the first time you cuffed my wrists because it's easier to keep my legs still and try to forget the cuffs are there, but _seeing_ them on my ankles… "

Obi-Wan used the Force to summon a blanket from his bedroom, which he spread across Anakin, covering his entire lower body. "Is that better, or will it be worse if you forget you're wearing them and then try to move your legs?" 

Anakin's body slackened in Obi-Wan's arms, and he felt relief and gratitude flow through their bond. "It'll be okay," the younger man said, sounding slightly more confident than his Force signature showed. Anakin's feet moved under the blanket and Obi-Wan heard the chain's muted rattle. "I think if I keep moving a little bit, I'll get used to it enough to not startle myself."

Obi-Wan quickly scanned their bond, and as well as he could figure, Anakin seemed tense but not frightened. Experimentally, he prodded at Anakin's shields, tapping at them almost playfully. 

Anakin laughed and tapped back. "Are you trying to tell me to lower my shields the rest of the way, or is this some Jedi version of ding-dong-ditch?" 

"I assure you, it is not _ding dong ditch_. If I recall correctly from the days of my youth, _ding dong ditch_ requires the proverbial lights to be on and someone to actually be home."

"Hey! That's not a very supportive thing to say to your padawan, you know." A predatory smirk spread across Anakin's face. "Buuuut I guess I can forgive you, old man. It's not your fault your youth was so long ago there aren't any surviving records of the time period." 

Sparks of playful energy crackled to life in Anakin's aura, and Obi-Wan felt the younger man relax against his chest as he continued to speak. "I mean, if you want to go on an archeological dig, we might be able to find some cave paintings of your youngling clan or something. What was it called, the Wooly Bantha Clan? The Primordial Ooze Clan? The Loosely Associated Clannish Federation of Single Celled Organisms Who Stew In Dark Caves All Day And...HEY!!!"

Unable to resist the urge any longer, Obi-Wan poked his fingers into Anakin's ribs, targeting a spot where he knew his apprentice was extremely ticklish. Anakin yelped and thrashed around as Obi-Wan tried to hold him still, the younger man laughing as the smirk he'd been wearing transformed into a brilliant grin.

Obi-Wan returned the smile easily yet continued to carefully monitor their bond, realizing full well Anakin was kicking around and may have forgotten he was wearing restraints. A somewhat startled jolt radiated out from his padawan following a rather loud clank of chain, but Anakin quick to shrug it off. 

Seeming slightly more subdued once the laughter died down, Anakin relaxed against Obi-Wan's chest again and tilted his head back, smiling at the wisps of auburn hair brushing against his forehead. "Can we try putting my wrist cuffs on?" he asked. "I think I've gotten to the point where I'm more afraid of being afraid than I am of actually wearing the cuffs."

Obi-Wan raised a questioning eyebrow.

"When we first started doing this, I freaked out as soon as you put the shackles on me, or as soon as I heard them make noise. The last few times, I've been nervous and worried while I was waiting for you to put them on, but once you did, I was fine." 

Anakin paused for a moment, tilting his head back further to meet Obi-Wan's eyes. "I mean, it's still kind of startling when I forget I'm wearing them and then accidentally pull against them, and I still have to stop and focus to remind myself where I am sometimes, but I think it's mainly that my perception of wearing them is a lot scarier than what wearing them is actually like. Once I've actually got them on and I've had a few minutes to get used to them, they're really not that bad."

Well, that certainly made enough sense, Obi-Wan thought, and it definitely seemed to fit with Anakin's reactions to the restraints over the past few days. The raw fear had all but tapered off, and the general anxiety level had been slowly declining. It would spike up every now and then, especially when Anakin had been cuffed for a while and distracted enough to forget, then suddenly moved his arms and been reminded - but even then, he seemed to be recovering from the minor setbacks more quickly every time.

"If you're sure you're ready," Obi-Wan said, reaching toward the coffee table to retrieve the discarded pair of shackles. "But I hope you realize there's no rush. You've got nothing to prove to me, and you'll do yourself no favors by pushing yourself further than your mind is ready to allow."

"I'm sure," Anakin replied, sounding perfectly confident in his answer.

Obi-wan scanned his Force signature, and other than the expected tingle of nerves and a few small waves of apprehension, Anakin seemed perfectly fine.

"Alright then, relax your arms." 

Anakin obediently rested his hands in his lap, and Obi-Wan reached around his Padawan's body, closing the cuffs around one wrist, and then the other, projecting a subtle sense of peace as he did. 

Anakin examined the cuffs on his wrists as he'd been doing earlier, like he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was indeed wearing them but not in any sort of danger. A slight sense of low-level uneasiness trickled through their bond, but there was no fear, panic, or other cause for concern. Anakin's legs moved under the blanket again, and his feet seemed to be tugging lightly against the chain - but curiosity rather than fear was still the predominant emotion emanating through the bond.

"Is everything alright?" Obi-Wan asked. 

Anakin nodded, still fidgeting in the restraints. "Can we put on a holovid? I'm trying to get used to the way these feel, but if I keep focusing on them too much, I think I'm going to psych myself out."

Again, this sounded perfectly reasonable, and seemed to match with what Obi-Wan had felt through his padawan's Force signature. "Of course, but you'll have to let me up for a moment. I believe _someone_ borrowed a few of the cables from the screen to charge some miscellaneous gadgets, and failed to return them to their proper place. I'll need to go retrieve them from this person's room."

With a faux-guilty grin, Anakin leaned forward enough for Obi-Wan to extract himself from the couch. "Check under my desk. If they're not there, try the closet."

"I'm not entirely sure I want to discover what diabolical creations are lurking in your room, Anakin, but if I end up getting devoured by a sentient circuit board or some other technological monstrosity, please give my regrets to the Council." 

Amusement danced in Anakin's eyes. "Aww, Master, don't worry. There's nothing too scary in there. At least not once you get to know them. The circuit board won't be a problem though. I fed him a couple of younglings this morning, so he shouldn't be hungry again for at least another day. You've got nothing to worry about anyway. You're too old and gristly for his tastes."

After playfully swatting at his padawan's head, Obi-Wan turned and walked toward the bedroom. Opening the door and flipping on the light, he found himself in a room that resembled a cross between a junkyard and a crash site. Or possibly a crash site in a junkyard. _Sweet Force above, what exactly is all this stuff?_ Wires, tools, droid bits, pipes and hoses for various types of vehicles, two half-dissected holopads...and was that the desk Anakin spoke of, buried under what looked to be several large pieces of sheet metal and pile of erratically blinking lights? 

"Padawan," Obi-Wan called toward the door, not bothering to hide the amusement in his voice, "would you mind telling me how you managed to set a bomb off in here without anyone in the temple noticing? Or did you simply use those extraordinary Force abilities of yours to conjure a tornado or twelve?"

Silence. 

"Anakin?"

Still no response. Obi-Wan reached out with his mind, gently tapping Anakin's shields, and after another moment of dead silence, a spike of cold terror came ripping through the Force.

_Kriff!_

Muttering another curse under his breath as he nearly tripped over a model-size podracer on the floor, Obi-Wan scrambled toward the door and dashed back into the sitting room. Anakin was curled into a fetal position on the couch, eyes screwed tightly shut, shoulders trembling violently. 

Frantically reaching for the younger man's wrists, Obi-Wan quickly removed the shackles, cast them aside, then pulled the blanket from Anakin's legs and removed the ankle cuffs as well. _What in the Sith hells was I thinking, leaving him alone like this? _he scolded himself before taking a careful moment to release his own fear to the Force and opening their bond the rest of the way, trying to siphon off the anxiety that engulfed his apprentice.__

__Kneeling next to the couch, he gently stroked Anakin's hair, allowing affection and serenity to pour through the bond. "Come back to me, Anakin," he said softly. "You're home in the temple. I'm right here. Everything's fine."_ _

__After what seemed like an eternity, Anakin's breathing began to even out, the trembling began to subside, and he slowly opened his eyes. "Master?" He blinked in confusion, and then a jolt of anger shot through their bond. "Ugh, I'm such a wermo!" he growled, impatient frustration blazing in his aura, but direct entirely at himself._ _

__"Forgive me, dear one," Obi-Wan murmured, scooting onto the couch and gathering Anakin into his arms. "I should not have left you alone like that." He clutched Anakin tight against his body, allowing the edges of their force signatures to blend, helping Anakin stabilize his emotions._ _

__"S'not your fault I wimped out," Anakin muttered, falling limply into the embrace. "I was fine. Or at least I thought I was. I think you being here with me is what was keeping me calm before. I don't mean anything you were doing specifically - it's not like I suddenly couldn't access our bond when you were one room away. I knew you were right there, and I felt you. It's just...having your physical presence here with me makes it different."_ _

___Of course it does_ , Obi-Wan told himself, feeling rather stupid for not recognizing something so obvious. Anakin had always been such a tactile person who thrived on physical contact. Obi-Wan had been an idiot to assume their Force bond, strong as it was, could be a substitute for physical touch when Anakin was caught in such a precarious mental and emotional balance. _ _

__"Come here, Anakin." Situating himself so he was lying against the back of the couch, Obi-Wan pulled Anakin with him, spooning his body behind the younger man. Anakin was taller than he was now, but in situations like this, it made very little difference. "Just relax. We can stay here for tonight."_ _

__With a wave of Obi-Wan's hand, the lights in the room dimmed and the blanket at the foot of the couch rose up and covered the both of them. Wrapping his body protectively around Anakin, Obi-Wan continued sending waves of peaceful affection toward his padawan until the younger man's breath fell into the deep, even pattern of sleep._ _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the update delay! This chapter fought BACK, and it fought hard. It did not want to be written. But I won in the end, so haha, here it is! 
> 
> The next one should be up way sooner than this one was, since I've got a lot of it written already. Thanks again to everyone who's been leaving kudos and comments. Those are the fuel to the fire in my trashcan dwelling fangirl heart.  
> \------------------

Last night had been an unmitigated disaster.

Okay, a _mostly_ unmitigated disaster, Anakin silently amended. The part where he got to spend the night in Obi-Wan's arms was decidedly less disastrous. The rest of it though? Total mess. He'd karked up _yet again_ , let his fear get the better of him, and worse yet, he'd let it happen just when he thought he'd _finally_ gotten past it.

It wasn't that Anakin didn't think he could handle being restrained. He could handle it just fine, thank you very much, but being restrained and being left alone in restraints were two entirely different things. And it wasn't just a matter of being alone or not alone, it was a matter of having Obi-Wan there specifically - Obi-Wan, whose physical presence along with the unique, soothing flicker of his aura could bring peace at even the most difficult times.

So the whole thing with getting to sleep in his master's arms hadn't been a remotely undesirable outcome. It's just that physical touch was significantly more enjoyable when it wasn't immediately preceded by intense bouts of mind-numbing terror. If he could find a way of accomplishing the former while avoiding the latter, this would be the ideal scenario.

After spending a bit of time turning all of this over in his head, Anakin tried to release his frustration to the Force - and when that failed miserably, he settled for channeling it into determination instead, planning how to avoid repeating the previous night's mistake. 

The first step would be for him to hook up that Sith-farkled holoscreen before he asked Obi-Wan to cuff him again this evening. (And he _would_ be asking Obi-Wan to cuff him again this evening, even if he had to argue for it.) Despite the previous night's setback, the idea of distracting himself with a holovid hadn't been a bad plan at all, and he was pretty sure it would actually help - as long as he didn't do anything else intensely stupid, like asking Obi-Wan to leave him alone with his wrists and ankles bound for the first time.

Several hours later, Anakin found himself flopping down next to his master on the couch, both pairs of shackles in hand. 

"I suppose any attempts at discouraging you from trying this again so soon would be cheerfully ignored?" Obi-Wan asked, raising a brow.

"Of course," Anakin said casually. "Things would get pretty boring around here if I actually started listening to you."

"And how would you know? I don't believe you've ever tried it."

Anakin grinned as he shifted on the couch, stretching his legs out and leaning his back against his master's chest. "I dunno. Just some wild speculation." He tilted his head back to rest on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Cheeky little kriff," Obi-Wan muttered fondly. 

Anakin smirked up at his mentor. "I don't know where I could have possibly learned that skill. You'd think I had a relentless smartass for a master or something." 

"I know not what you speak of," Obi-Wan replied, straight-faced as ever, but with unbridled mirth sparkling in his warm grey eyes. 

"So what type of holo should we watch?" Anakin asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from Obi-Wan's concerns. "I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and venture to guess you wouldn't be too interested in _Galaxy's Wildest Podracer Wipe-Outs Volume 3._ "

"Yes, well, mainly because I worry you'll use it as inspiration for your next adventure outside the temple."

"Spoilsport," Anakin muttered, handing both pairs of shackles to Obi-Wan. "Just no educational poodoo or snooze fest documentaries, okay? I need something I'll actually be able to pay attention to without feeling like I'm being captured and tortured for real."

"You have my solemn word." 

A comfortable silence passed between them, and then Anakin took a single deep breath, slowly exhaled, and nodded. He was relieved when he felt his master's hands reaching around him, lightly grasping one of his ankles. _Good, I don't have to convince him I'm not going to freak out again._ Obi-Wan's fingers trailed soothingly over the top of Anakin's foot before snapping one of the cuffs into place. The other cuff quickly followed, and then Obi-Wan's strong arms were around Anakin again, pulling him solidly against his chest. 

"I'm okay," Anakin reassured, realizing - somewhat to his surprise - that he actually was. "You can go ahead and do my arms now."

Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment, and Anakin tilted his head back again, resting it on his master's shoulder, staring up at him through the strands of soft auburn hair that lightly tickled his nose. "I promise I'll let you know if it gets to be too much."

Thankfully, this seemed to do the trick. Obi-Wan reached forward again and Anakin heard a soft clink of chain, then felt two cool metal bands close around his wrists. For a moment, his body tensed, but he forced himself to relax before Obi-Wan could say anything about it. He was _not_ going to wimp out this time.

With a flick of the older man's wrist, the blanket at the foot of the couch unfolded itself and spread over the two of them. "Will this do?" Obi-Wan asked, hitting a button on the remote and bringing up the opening credits to some Corellian spacepilot spy movie. 

Anakin hummed his approval. The movie was a good choice. Corellian spy flicks tended to have plenty of the space-chase action scenes Anakin loved, but they also had a good share of the intellectual junk that was more up Obi-Wan's alley. 

Of course, Obi-Wan hadn't been merely referring to the movie when he'd asked if this would do - but neither had Anakin's response. Anakin thoroughly appreciated the fact that were far worse places to be than curled up on a warm couch in his master's arms, and between the blanket, the embrace, and the solid grasp of the cuffs, Anakin had, for a split second, caught himself feeling oddly at peace, comforted even, and _that_ revelation caught him completely off guard.

Granted, he still wasn't entirely comfortable thinking too much about the fact that he was restrained, but he was also quickly realizing that as long as he avoided thinking too much about it, the experience wasn't particularly unpleasant. The challenge was to keep his mind from wandering into to the past, and the trick to doing that was to make himself focus on the present. 

_Okay, this should be simple enough_ , he thought, and one by one, he began mentally cataloging the physical sensations he felt. He started out focusing on Obi-Wan's arms around him, on the rise and fall of his master's chest, on how content he felt simply lying there being held. 

He bent his knee slightly, causing the chain on the leg shackles to tug against his ankles - but once again compelling himself to focus only on what he physically felt, right here and right now. There was pressure on his ankles as he tugged at the chain, but nothing painful or inherently threatening. Obi-Wan's warm arms were still around him, his master's steady breath rhythmic and calming. 

The heaviness of the shackles on his wrists drew his attention next, but again he reminded himself - _nothing painful, nothing dangerous, they're just harmless hunks of metal_. He pulled against the chain binding his arms, testing it and focusing only on the sensation of physical resistance, quickly pulling his mind back to the present as soon as it tried to take him elsewhere. _Harmless metal, no cause for panic,_ he silently repeated. And the more he said it to himself, the more his mind seemed willing to believe it. 

He repeated the mantra in his head a few more times, then released the thought to the Force, giving himself permission to completely relax and lose himself in what he was presently experiencing. He focused on being cocooned and snuggled, on feeling the solid grasp of the smooth, body-warmed metal and Obi-Wan's strong arms around him, on hearing his master's steady heartbeat as he rested his head against the other's chest...it felt like he was being held safe rather than trapped in a situation where the likely outcomes were pain, death, or worse. 

_Dammit, no! No thinking about that stuff!_ he scolded himself. _Here and now. **Only** here and now._ He focused on the feeling of safety again, on feeling protected and wrapped up and warm. 

"Will you try resting your hand on the chain?" he found himself asking, reaching for Obi-Wan's hands and tangling their fingers together. "The one on my wrists I mean," he clarified lamely. 

After a long moment of hesitation, his master obliged, resulting in a gentle tug on Anakin's arms. His heart pounded in his chest for a moment, but Anakin once again forced himself to focus only on what he physically felt - additional pressure on his wrists, but benign pressure, not painful or threatening. Obi-Wan's arms still holding him snug. Strands of his master's soft auburn hair brushing against his cheeks as the older man curled his body forward to draw Anakin closer to his chest. 

Weirdly enough, it still felt nice. Granted, the moment he let himself think about it too much, it started becoming not nice - but when he compelled his mind to stay in the present and focus only on what he experienced here and now, it was comforting and relaxing, like he was being protected by those strong, warm arms, safe inside a durasteel fortress. 

Allowing the remaining tension to flow from his body and carefully releasing it to the Force, Anakin relaxed fully into Obi-Wan's embrace, resting his head where he could easily see the screen. 

Once the movie was over and the cuffs had been removed and put away, as Anakin sat perched on the couch, tinkering with a droid and allowing his mind to wander, he found himself missing the feeling from earlier.

All through the next day, he realized he was inexplicably looking forward to the evening. 

\-----------------

It was the first real downtime they'd had since everything had gone to hell on Geonosis, and all things considered, Anakin seemed to be holding up remarkably well. The older man got the feeling there was a lot on Anakin's mind, and there were still some things his padawan simply wasn't ready to talk about yet - but Obi-Wan was still impressed and relieved at how well Anakin seemed to have taken the entire Geonosis catastrophe, both at the time, and during the recovery period.

Not only had Anakin completely kept his wits about him in the arena despite the shackles _and_ the bloodthirsty beasts, he'd recovered from the Dooku incident with remarkable speed, and he seemed to be viewing his prosthetic arm as an exciting new mechanical gadget to play with as opposed to any sort of real handicap - which was another huge relief, considering the shockingly insensitive comments his padawan had received upon his return to Coruscant.

Obi-Wan expected younglings to stare at the mechanical arm, which they certainly they had - but Anakin, being Anakin, had responded by calling them over to him and excitedly showing them how it worked. And the younglings, being younglings, were equally excited to see it, since their stares had been prompted merely by curiosity.

It was, unfortunately, a small handful of adults who'd chosen to act like younglings that were the problem. Obi-Wan made a mental note that he needed to have an extremely serious talk with a few certain Council members who'd provoked Anakin into a shouting match after scolding him for showing "that thing" to impressionable younglings while insinuating he was less worthy of being a Force user now that his body wasn't fully organic. 

Technically speaking, Obi-Wan should probably also reprimand Anakin for what he'd said to aforementioned Council members - specifically the slew of vulgar Huttese insults, followed by "I thought you all would see it as an improvement, given you've wanted me to be more of a droid than a human ever since I got here," followed by "give me a kriffing break, you're just pissed off nobody would bother risking a limb to protect a useless pack of pompous blowhards like you" - but quite frankly, they had it coming. 

Obi-wan also grimly realized Anakin's arm wasn't likely to be the last battle wound any of them would see if they intended to keep the Jedi involved in the war. Stigmatizing people who'd been injured in the line of duty not only lacked compassion, it was an unwise course of action - terrible for morale, and likely to foster outrage and mistrust in the eyes of both the public and any traditional military personnel they might find themselves working with.

Obi-Wan was snapped out of his thoughts by Anakin reaching over him to withdraw both pairs of shackles from the desk drawer. "Well this is going to be interesting," he said, holding up his new metal arm and flexing his fingers, watching the light glint off the golden finish. "I'm going to install some upgrades soon so I'll have more sensory receptors, and I'll fix it so it's shaped more like an actual arm instead of something I stole off an extremely tacky skeleton, but for now, can you just wrap it in fabric?"

Well this was a surprise. Anakin had clearly overcome his fear, yet not only was he still requesting to be bound, he was offering ideas for how to make the restraints fit his mechanical wrist. He could have easily used his new arm as an excuse to avoid the wrist shackles, or simply not asked to be restrained at all, but by all available evidence, he simply didn't want to. Obi-Wan raised a questioning brow.

"Don't worry, there's no engine grease on it," Anakin offered helpfully. "It won't muck up your tunic."

"You seemed perfectly relaxed the last time we did this," Obi-Wab ventured, "and any fear you may have felt on Geonosis was quite understandable." Perhaps Anakin had been more frightened than he'd let on in the arena, and he was worried his fears hadn't been truly conquered? 

Anakin smirked. "Well yes, Master, fighting for my life in a gladiator arena against a bunch of overgrown lizards who are trying to eat me for lunch is slightly more unnerving than snuggling with you on the couch and talking about starfighter engines. Very observant."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Still a smartass little kriff," he muttered, prompting a grin from Anakin, who insistently held out the mechanical limb. For whatever reason, his padawan clearly wanted to be restrained, and although it was rather baffling, there was really no harm in giving him what he asked for. 

Anakin sat patiently as Obi-Wan pulled one of the cloth tabards off his tunic, wrapped the cream-colored fabric around the skeletal frame of the mechno arm until the limb was similar in width to his organic one, then gently clicked the shackles onto Anakin's wrists. "Alright?" he asked, waiting for a response from Anakin, who flexed his mechanical hand a few times, then nodded and leaned back into the couch. 

Obi-Wan questioningly held up the other pair of shackles and Anakin instantly scooted sideways, stretching his legs out to give Obi-Wan easy access to his ankles. The shackles clicked shut, and Anakin shifted again so his legs were tucked underneath him, looking thoroughly content and relaxed. 

"If I didn't know any better," Obi-Wan told him, "I'd think you were actually beginning to enjoy this." 

Anakin rolled his eyes. "It doesn't really bother me anymore." For a moment he seemed to hesitate, choosing his next words carefully. "And I like spending time with you like this. Just talking, I mean. Not getting ordered around on missions." 

"You don't have to be chained up in order to talk to me, you know."

Amusement danced in Anakin's eyes and he shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but I've just sort of gotten used to it." And then, almost timidly, "It makes me feel safe."

Well _that_ was unexpected. For a lot of reasons really. _Safe? How?_ Obi-Wan found he had quite a few questions, but he resisted the urge to ask them, knowing full well his padawan would go quickly on the defensive if he felt he was being interrogated or taken to task. What Anakin had just said was a clear an admission of vulnerability - a roundabout one perhaps, but coming from Anakin, it was huge.

"Come here, Padawan." Obi-Wan pulled Anakin toward him so the younger man's head rested in his lap, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. Anakin shifted to get comfortable and stretched his legs out over the side of the couch, the chain on his ankle cuffs swinging back and forth as his feet dangled over the armrest. He seemed to study it curiously for a moment, then batted at it with his toes. 

Obi-Wan laughed and shook his head. "Force help me, you really are a loth-cat." Reaching for Anakin's braid, he began to untangle the long strands of golden hair. "Do I even want to ask when the last time you fixed your braid was?" 

Anakin grinned up at him. "No, probably not."

Obi-Wan sighed and continued to gently twist the pieces apart. "I was afraid of that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanon lore on Force bonds seems to be all over the place, so I tried to do some intarwebz research, both in terms of what happens to a Jedi training bond once a padawan is knighted, and what happens to a Force bond in general if it's severed. What I found was a grand total of jack and shit on what happens to training bonds specifically, and regarding Force bonds in general, Wookieepedia says this:
> 
> _"To break a bond, your feelings would have to change, or one of you would have to die—but even then, the bond wouldn't go away, it would simply… it would simply be empty, a wound."_
> 
> So that's what I went on. If there's better or different info out there somewhere, OOPS, guess this fic is now AU - not that it wasn't headed there anyway since I've got Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship way too healthy and non-dysfunctional. (Though there is angst in this chapter, and miscommunication leading to more angst, because after all, it's still Anakin and Obi-Wan.)
> 
> Okay, enough rambling, here's Chapter 5. Thanks again to everyone who's been leaving kudos and comments! It's truly appreciated.  
> 

\----------------

"Master? How hard would the Council kick my ass if I used the Force to make my hair grow out," Anakin called from the fresher. As he stared at his braid-less reflection in the mirror, more conflicting emotions roiled through him than he could even begin to identify, let alone sort out. Part of him felt positively elated, like this was long overdue, and another part of him felt absolutely terrified, and other parts of him felt tons of other things, and all he really wanted to do right now was go curl up in Obi-Wan's arms, held safe and still in his bindings so he could give his mind a chance to relax.

"I doubt they'd be too happy," came the reply from the sitting room, "but it would hardly be the most ridiculous thing you've ever done." 

"How is it ridiculous?" Anakin asked, exiting the fresher and walking to the couch where Obi-Wan sat. "If you ask me, it's perfectly sensible. Padawan haircuts - _those_ are what's ridiculous. They were probably designed to be hideous on purpose. I bet a bunch of ancient Jedi were sitting around and decided to use stupid haircuts as some sort of ongoing humiliation tactic to keep padawans from getting too cocky or something." 

"Yes, well, traditional methods never did work with you," Obi-Wan replied with a wry smile, motioning for Anakin to join him on the couch. 

Anakin took a seat and was about to lean into Obi-Wan's side, just as he did every evening, but he suddenly stopped himself. _Was it still okay to do this? Would Obi-Wan still want him to?_

Anakin had long since conquered any fear of being restrained, but somewhere along the line, he'd come to treasure their nightly ritual. It relaxed his mind in ways meditation never could, and it was a unique opportunity to bond with his master - sometimes chatting or playfully arguing, other times resting in companionable silence while a holo played in the background, but it was one of the few times he felt truly at peace.

Other than the brief conversation following their return from Geonosis, Obi-Wan had never pushed for information or questioned Anakin about whether this was something he wanted to continue doing. He'd simply wait for Anakin to join him on the couch, cuff the younger man's wrists and ankles, and pull him into his arms. Even when Anakin had finished the upgrades on his prosthetic and used a piece of foam engine hose to line one of the wrist cuffs, Obi-Wan had simply looked at it, commented that it was a clever way to prevent scratch damage, and then expressed relief that Anakin had found a use for engine parts that didn't involve building illegal racing vehicles. 

"Is everything alright?" Obi-Wan asked, reaching toward the desk drawer to withdraw the shackles. 

Anakin let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Yeah," he said, relaxing against the couch. "Totally fine."

Obi-Wan turned back to Anakin, and the younger man held out his arms, nearly collapsing in relief as the cuffs closed around his wrists. Once his ankles had been bound as well, Anakin scooted into his master's side and curled against his body. There was a lot he wanted to say, but he needed some time to un-jumble his thoughts before he could express any of it clearly. "Master? Could you put on a holovid for now? I think I just need to decompress for a little bit." 

"You'll be happy to know you don't have to call me Master anymore," Obi-Wan said lightly, reaching for the remote, and Anakin felt like someone had rammed a lightsaber straight through his heart. 

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, concern evident in his voice. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Only then did Anakin realize his entire body had gone rigid, pain and terror coursing through him like an electric current. 

So this was it, then. All it took was some stupid ceremony, his braid getting snipped, and Obi-Wan was pushing him away. _Like I should have expected anything different from the perfectly proper Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ Anakin thought bitterly. Hell, Obi-Wan was probably already making preparations to sever their bond, lest a dreaded _attachment_ exist between the two of them that wasn't strictly necessary for training purposes. 

Feeling his thoughts spiral rapidly out of control, Anakin frantically tried to slam his shields into place, but the torrent of emotion coursing through him was too much. It ripped through his defenses, erupting into the Force before he was able to stop it. 

Obi-Wan visibly flinched, and then a warm hand was against Anakin's cheek, gently tilting his face to make eye contact with his master, whose ginger brows were knitted together in worry. "I don't know what I said to distress you, dear one, but if this is what it's caused you to feel, then I believe it's safe to assume the message was not correctly received."

Cautiously, Anakin reached for their bond - which seemed undamaged for now - and brushed his mind against Obi-Wan's. He felt nothing but soft, genuine concern from the other man, and saw the same sentiment reflected in his clear grey eyes. 

Anakin quickly bowed his head, trying desperately to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall. "You don't want me to think of you as my master anymore. It's already bad enough I have to sit here dreading how bad it's going to hurt when you cut our bond, and now - "

"Anakin!" 

The younger man raised his eyes to look at Obi-Wan, and he was hard pressed to recall a time when he'd seen his mentor look more horrified or shocked.

"First and foremost," Obi-Wan began, " _no one_ will be severing our bond! I cannot begin to imagine where you might have picked up such a barbaric idea, but I can assure you, there is absolutely no basis for it. Secondly, I had only assumed that - knowing your distaste for hierarchy and protocol - you would be glad to simply call me by my name." 

Oh. _Oh._

For the second time tonight, relief slammed into Anakin like a tsunami, washing away the currents of absolute terror that had been wracking his body and mind. 

"Now would you like to tell me what's going on?" Obi-Wan asked, voice once again filled with gentle concern.

"You're right about me not giving a bantha's ass about hierarchy and protocol," Anakin began, then trailed off, trying to think of a good way to explain everything that wouldn't sound utterly nonsensical. 

A long-ago conversation with his mother came to mind - an offhand observation she'd made, after Anakin had scavenged junkyard parts to cobble together a vaporator for a sick friend. _You fix broken things, Ani, and give them to people you love,_ she'd said. And although thinking about his mother right now was the last thing he needed to be doing, the explanation rang true. 

"Somebody told me one time that I tended to fix broken things and give them to people I care about," he explained, not daring to use the word _love_. "I usually do it with machines and droids and stuff like that, but I guess this time, I did it with a word."

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Obi-Wan said, and when Anakin searched their bond, he felt only genuine curiosity. 

"When I first came to the Jedi, 'master' wasn't a word I exactly enjoyed calling people. You can figure out why. I mean, sure, every slave kid knows how to say _yes, Master_ in a tone so vile it'd make a Huttese curse sound like a nursery rhyme by comparison - and I still say it that way in my head when I'm in the Council chamber sometimes - but when I was fresh off that desert shithole, 'master' was something you called people you either resented or were scared of. I actually _liked_ you, even if I was a little bit intimidated at first. I didn't want to call you something that meant I thought you were a total sleemo."

Obi-Wan sighed and drew Anakin to him. "Did you not think you could discuss this with me?"

Anakin hooked his chin over Obi-Wan's shoulder, resting comfortably in the embrace. "I didn't want to get you mad at me, or make you think I didn't want to be your padawan just because I didn't want to call you Master. So I gave the word a different meaning in my head. I told myself the slavers couldn't have that word anymore, and it wasn't going to mean what they said it meant, _or_ what the Council said it meant. It was going to be my word for you, and that's it. Nobody else could have it." 

"And just what, dare I ask, did the Council want it to mean? And what did you make it mean instead?"

"The Council wanted it to mean the same thing the slavers wanted it to mean - giant wermo whose job it is to order me around and treat me like an object. Kriff that! By the time I realized you probably wouldn't get mad at me for talking to you about it, I'd already given the word to you, and it was yours. It meant protector and friend, and I didn't _want_ to take it back."

"And you still don't," Obi-Wan finished, soft realization in his voice.

Anakin nodded, pulling back a bit to look at Obi-Wan, fear once again tightening in his chest. "You're really not going to cut our bond? Or let the healers do it?"

"The healers would throw me out if I suggested it!" Obi-Wan said, once again sounding thoroughly aghast. "They are not in the habit of practicing psychic butchery."

Anakin choked out a sob of relief, trying to steady his voice. "Well that's good to know. I've already had one limb hacked off, and I wasn't looking forward to going through it again." Of course, Anakin had the sneaking suspicion severing his Force bond with Obi-Wan would hurt far worse than losing a physical appendage, but he chose not to voice that, still hoping to avoid a conversation about attachment. "I've heard of Force bonds being severed before though, so I know it happens, right?"

"Only once in a very long while, and only under extraordinary circumstances," Obi-Wan said, relaxing his hands to his sides and scooting back enough to look Anakin in the eye. "There are rare occasions where a master and padawan come to resent each other to the point of the bond becoming toxic, and the healers will assist in severing it if necessary - in these situations, the bond has begun creating a feedback loop of negative emotion that can't be released to the Force." 

"As long as they don't do it for feedback loops of bad jokes, I think we're safe," Anakin commented, noting with more than a small bit of affection that Obi-Wan had switched into teacher mode. 

One corner of Obi-Wan's mouth twitched in amusement. "There are even rarer occasions where a master or padawan will fall to the Dark Side, and their bond will be severed by healers so it cannot be used as a weapon by the fallen person against the one still in the light."

Anakin nodded as he parsed the new info. "Seems like kind of a lame weapon when you can just shoot fireworks out of your fingertips, but okay, whatever floats their speeders I guess." 

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a long-suffering sigh before continuing, though warm amusement still shone in his eyes. "Under normal circumstances, however, severing a bond is extremely dangerous to the minds and Force signatures of both parties involved." His voice took on a more serious note. "It is an act of spiritual violence that leaves a raw, open wound on a living being's psyche. It simply would not be done without an extremely good cause."

"So why don't any of the former master-padawan pairs still have their bonds?" Anakin asked. 

Obi-Wan reached out and hooked his finger around the chain connecting Anakin's arms, tugging gently on his wrists and drawing Anakin closer to him. There was something incredibly intimate about the gesture, despite the fact that Obi-Wan wasn't even technically touching him, and Anakin could hardly believe he used to recoil from something that now felt so deeply comforting.

"When a padawan is knighted, what normally happens to the training bond is akin to the gradual atrophy of an unused muscle. The new knight and former master go their separate ways, and though many retain close friendships, they are no longer constantly joining their minds through the Force. Since they no longer rely on each other in battle or depend on their connection for survival, it slowly fades away from disuse. That's all. And since the Council is planning on keeping us together as a team, even this scenario is highly unlikely."

There was another tug on the wrist chain, a comforting gesture of reassurance. "Nobody is going to cut our bond, Anakin, though I'd quite like to know who's been trying to frighten you by filling your head with such nonsense."

Anakin sighed and leaned forward, relief washing over him. "I think I planted the idea in my own head," he admitted, resting his forehead against Obi-Wan's shoulder. "None of the Jedi seem to still have bonds with their former padawans or masters, so I figured they got severed once they weren't paired up anymore. Everybody acts like attachment is the worst thing in the galaxy, so it seemed like something the Council would do as soon as the bond wasn't necessary anymore, just slice it apart like it's no big deal." Anakin burrowed into the crook of Obi-Wan's shoulder, torn between needing the additional closeness, and not wanting to remove the restraints that had come to feel like an extension of Obi-Wan's arms holding onto him, tethering him to reality and keeping him grounded and centered through the increasing upheaval of his world.

Feeling his master's arms tighten around him, Anakin closed his eyes, losing himself in the deep sense of peacefulness. The next thing he knew, he was being lifted off the couch, slung over Obi-Wan's shoulder, and gently deposited on a bed. _Obi-Wan's bed_ , he realized. With a contented hum, he curled onto his side and began to once again relinquish his grip on consciousness until he felt fingers brush against his ankles, fumbling with the release clasp on his bindings. 

Anakin kicked his feet in protest. "Hey, don't do that!" he demanded, the sound of his own voice reminding him of a petulant youngling whining at a crechemate. 

Obi-Wan sighed. "Anakin, you can't very well sleep in these things," he chided, reaching again for the shackles. 

Anakin defiantly tucked his knees to his chest, moving his ankles out of Obi-Wan's reach. "Yes I can. I did earlier, but you woke me up."

"Anakin, quit being difficult."

"Don't wanna."

Obi-Wan sighed again and sat down on the bed next to Anakin, lightly tugging on the chain connecting the younger man's wrists. "I suppose you want me to leave these on as well?"

"Mmmm." Anakin nuzzled the back of Obi-Wan's hand. "Feels nice when you do that," he murmured.

"Really." Obi-Wan said flatly, giving the chain another tug. "Didn't you used to hate this?" 

"S'before I got used to you doing it," he replied, brushing his fingers against Obi-Wan's arm.

"Difficult," Obi-Wan muttered, though there was an unmistakable air of fondness to his voice. Obi-Wan's footfalls padded away from the bed, and then the mattress dipped down on the opposite side. The light in the room went off, and Anakin felt Obi-Wan's body curl around his, pressing against his back. A warm arm draped itself across Anakin's body, and the older man's fingers curled around the chain of the wrist shackles.

Anakin was asleep in seconds.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that, five chapters in and we finally get to the prompt that got me writing this thing in the first place. 
> 
> Also, I've got sort of a ridiculously intricate headcanon based around Anakin reclaiming the word "master" once he started his Jedi training. I've touched on different aspects of it in several of my fics, but the entire thing is sort of laid out here should you want to read more of my rambling nonsense:
> 
> http://rocket-sith.tumblr.com/post/155659952951/its-obikin-time-lets-celebrate-our-favourite


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. The conversation in this chapter was really hard to write (Anakin and Obi-Wan having communication issues? Ya don't say), and it got to the point where I just had to put the fic aside for a while and come back to it later. Thanks so much for the comments and kudos, and for sticking with me if you're reading this now.
> 
> Also, feel free to hit me up on tumblr if you're on the Blue Hellsite of Doom, because I rarely stop rambling, ranting, and spamming over there.  
> <https://www.tumblr.com/blog/rocket-sith>

\-------------------------

An emergency Council meeting regarding the rapidly brewing war had kept Obi-Wan up late into the night. Attempting to release his worry and exhaustion to the Force, he quietly crept into the quarters he still shared with Anakin, fully expecting to find his former padawan passed out on the couch with a half-built gadget in his lap and a space-chase holovid playing in the background. 

Much to his surprise, however, the living room was silent and devoid of life, as was Anakin's bedroom. 

For a moment, Obi-Wan suspected Anakin might be out and about, probably pestering whatever poor sap was guarding the temple hangar. However, he sensed the younger man's Force signature nearby. The 'fresher was unoccupied, so that only left one place. 

Rounding the corner into his own bedroom, Obi-Wan found his former apprentice sprawled face-down on the bed, horizontally stretched across the mattress, head pillowed in the crook of his non-mechanical elbow. His right arm was bent upwards and out to his side, mechanical wrist shackled to the organic one that peeked out from under an unruly mop of blond hair that had grown suspiciously long in such a short time. His legs were sprawled slightly apart, one knee halfway bent, the chain between his ankles pulled taut. 

"Master?" Anakin asked groggily, turning his head to look up at Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan was pretty sure he didn't remember restraining Anakin before he left for the meeting. Yet here he was, shackled hand and foot, and somehow managing to still hog the bed. 

Obi-Wan brushed Anakin's hair out of his eyes and raised a questioning brow at him. Anakin stared back in bleary-eyed confusion, then seemed to understand the question he was silently being asked. "Oh." he murmured, his voice thick with exhaustion. "I missed you." As if that explained why he'd bound himself and fallen asleep in his former master's bed. "Will you turn the light back off?" he asked, screwing his eyes shut. "s'too bright in here."

Shaking his head in utter bemusement, Obi-Wan dimmed the lights in the room and headed to the 'fresher to change into his sleep clothes, wondering how things had managed to progress to this level. Anakin had spent every single night this week chained and sharing his bed, and frankly, it was downright bizarre. It was also, however, ultimately harmless, and with as much comfort as Anakin seemed to get from the peculiar ritual, Obi-Wan saw no reason to try and break him of the habit. 

Besides, Obi-Wan reasoned, if this was the most ridiculous thing Anakin wanted to do on any given day, he should probably count his blessings. No literal or metaphorical explosions were happening, which was, by all accounts, progress. 

Granted, Anakin putting the shackles on _himself_ was a new one, but once again. Harmless. No explosions. Progress. And as much as Obi-Wan was loathe to admit it, spending the night with Anakin in his arms wasn't a habit he was particularly eager to break. Since getting paired together as a team after Anakin's knighting, their bond hadn't faded at all, but had simply recalibrated itself to reflect a partnership between equals. The physical and emotional proximity just plain felt good, especially as a respite from dealing with the fragile stability of the galaxy and the inevitable turbulence of the future. 

Obi-Wan did want to get some sort of explanation out of Anakin if possible, mainly to make sure this whole thing wasn't some sort of twisted self-flagellation on Anakin's part, but that was a delicate conversation that could wait until morning. Folding his tunic and pulling on his sleep pants, Obi-Wan padded back into his room where Anakin remained sprawled out, lightly dozing. 

Obi-Wan switched off the lamp on the night stand and heard chainlinks clinking softly together as he settled himself on the bed. Anakin scooted over to make room for him, then hummed contentedly when Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around his waist and tucked the younger man's head under his chin. "You know, dear one," Obi-Wan said, ducking to press his forehead against the back of Anakin's neck, "this isn't what I meant when I suggested you learn to practice self restraint."

Anakin's shoulders shook with silent laughter as he curled his body into Obi-Wan's embrace. "You know how much I love misinterpreting orders. I didn't see any reason to stop now." 

Obi-Wan sighed with affectionate exasperation. "I'll be sure to keep that particular approach in mind the next time the Council asks me to keep you on a shorter leash."

More silent laughter. "Don't make promises you don't intend to keep, Master. It's not nice to get my hopes up."

"Anakin!" 

Obi-Wan sensed his friend's amusement through their bond. "I'm only joking. Mostly, anyway. Why don't you shorten the chain on my ankle cuffs instead. I keep getting tangled up when I sleep."

He had to still be joking. Didn't he? Fully expecting Anakin to yelp his indignant disapproval, Obi-Wan scooted down and looped his foot through the chain of the ankle cuffs, firmly anchoring Anakin's legs in place. "You're going to have to settle for this. At the very least it will keep you from hogging the bed."

The move certainly startled Anakin, but rather than any sort of outrage, Obi-Wan felt a surge of intense contentment and something else he couldn't quite identify spike through their bond, followed by a deep sense of peace that felt almost out of place coming from Obi-Wan's quicksilver former apprentice. 

"That's good too," Anakin murmured, his body seeming to melt into the additional restraint. 

_What in the…_ By this point, curiosity had gotten the better of Obi-Wan. He grasped hold of the chain connecting the wrist cuffs, wanting to see how Anakin would react to having an additional anchor on his limbs. 

No indignant outrage resulted from that either. Anakin's entire body went limp, even more deeply relaxed than before. And if Anakin lightly kissed Obi-Wan's knuckles as he drifted off to sleep, Obi-Wan didn't notice. 

\---------------------

Waking up the next morning, Anakin found the idea of getting out of bed to be downright unthinkable. The intense feeling of comfort and peace that came with being held like this was overwhelming, and though a faraway part of his mind grumbled at the sheer illogicality of finding comfort in stillness when it usually drove him mad, he felt perfectly happy telling that part of his mind to go get kriffed. It was far too early in the morning to burden himself with annoying things like introspection and rational thought. Stifling a yawn, he snuggled against his master's warm body and went back to sleep. 

When he awoke again later, he sensed Obi-Wan's equally groggy mental presence behind him. "Morning, Master," Anakin mumbled, mind still thick with cobwebs as he stretched his legs, careful not to untangle himself from the warm set of limbs holding him in place. 

Silence. More silence. A quick poke at their bond indicated Obi-Wan was rather deeply contemplating something, which was worrisome, since 'good morning' wasn't normally a sentiment that required a carefully thought out reply. The silence stretched on, and then, inevitably - "We need to talk about this."

_Kriff._ Anakin tensed, waiting for whatever lecture or chastisement was coming, because that's how it always was. Anything that brought him any semblance of happiness or peace was pretty much guaranteed to be part of some itemized list of Stupid Shit Verboten By The Jedi Code For No Good Reason. 

_Out with it already_ , he mentally grumbled, wishing he could just go back to sleep and make it go away. But then a wave of reassurance poured through the bond, and Obi-Wan's fingers were lightly trailing over Anakin's organic wrist below the metal band of his cuff. "No, dear one, you're not in any sort of trouble. I only want to understand. And I want to make sure this isn't doing any sort of damage to your mind. That's all."

"Oh." Anakin closed his eyes in relief and relaxed into Obi-Wan's arms. _Damage to my mind?_ He wasn't entirely sure what Obi-Wan meant by that, but at least it didn't sound like he was about to get pushed away or yelled at. "Just stay here for a little longer and I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

He felt Obi-Wan smile against the back of his neck. "Well that's a rather dangerous thing to offer." 

Anakin let out a short puff of laughter. "I mean I'll tell you whatever you want within reason. I still have to hash out the details of that prostitution-turned-robbery ring before I can start spilling my trade secrets, and I can't go rigging sabacc games for just anyone, you know." 

"Of course." Obi-Wan said wryly, resting his hand on top of Anakin's bound wrists and brushing a finger across the back of his friend's mechanical thumb. 

Anakin smiled at the sensation and nuzzled his cheek against Obi-Wan's hand. "So what were you going to ask me about? Other than illicit trade secrets, I mean."

There was a pause from Obi-Wan, silent but companionable, reminiscent of when the two of them were sent on a mission to arbitrate peace talks. It usually meant Obi-Wan was carefully gathering his words before wading into a particularly delicate political discussion or asking a potentially touchy question. The silence stretched on, and then finally - "What pleasure do you derive from this?"

Oh. Oh kriff. _Was there a right or wrong answer here?_ What if _every_ answer was the wrong answer, and this was just some socratic bullshit where Anakin had to answer intrusive, introspective questions until he inadvertently admitted to committing some stupid slight against the Code? Couldn't Obi-Wan at least have the decency to stick with easy questions this early in the morning?

"I'm not passing judgment on you, dear one," came the gentle reassurance. "Force knows you've indulged in far more ludicrous activities on a regular basis, often with no motive other than simple amusement or a desire to irk the Council. But if you're intentionally inflicting duress on yourself…" 

_Wait. What?!_ "No way, old man!" Anakin quickly cut in. "I'm pretty sure the self flagellation crap is more your department." _Seriously, Master?! Self punishment? Like I don't get_ enough _punishment and chastisement from every other kriffing person in the galaxy? Sure, let me go ahead and inflict a little extra on myself, just for shits and giggles._ Putting everything else into words might take a bit more time, but Anakin was determined to shut this line of ridiculous thinking down as soon as possible. "Don't worry, Obi-Wan. It's nothing like that," Anakin reassured, dropping his shields enough for his master to feel his sincerity. 

There was a flood of relief from Obi-Wan, like a sharp exhale in the Force, and Anakin found himself sharing the sentiment. _Well there's at least one problem out of the way,_ he silently mused. "About the rest of it. Um. Give me a minute to think? It's kind of hard to explain."

Anakin felt Obi-Wan nod, and he tried to piece together his thoughts, wading through the foggy remnants of sleep in his mind. Was Obi-Wan genuinely concerned about his well-being, or was _Jedi Master Kenobi_ concerned about the karking Code? It wasn't that Obi-Wan didn't tend to make some allowances for Anakin's unique set of needs and quirks, but putting shackles on Anakin and snuggling him every night for hours on end was pretty far outside the scope of Jedi tradition. Plus it had been Obi-Wan's idea in the first place - which meant Obi-Wan might feel a personal responsibility to break Anakin of the habit should it turn into an un-Jedi-like indulgence rather than a practical means for conquering a fear. 

This meant the most important decision for Anakin right now was whether to be honest - and to what extent. Jedi were supposed to seek serenity, right? To the best of Anakin's knowledge, however, most functional Jedi didn't need a combination of physical touch and dungeon equipment in order to find peace. But, also to the best of his knowledge, most Jedi were really kriffing boring. Anakin fought to stifle a sigh. If he poured his thoughts out too freely, he might say something un-Jedi-like enough that Obi-Wan would take it as a red flag, but if he just kept silent, that would indicate a problem for sure. Plus Obi-Wan might start speculating, and if his master reached another left-field conclusion like assuming Anakin was trying to punish himself, it might be even worse than if Anakin just fessed up to his real motives. 

Shoving his worries to the corner of his mind, Anakin tried to make himself focus on the question itself, mentally cataloguing the possible answers he could give: _It's safe. It's comfortable. I don't know, it just feels nice. I started associating it with you telling me you're proud of me instead of just telling me all the stuff I'm doing wrong. The shift in our bond freaked me out and I need to feel like I'm still yours to protect._

Figuring none of those things were good explanations, or at least none of them were good explanations to admit out loud, Anakin pushed them aside and shifted his focus to the sensation of the cuffs against his skin, and to Obi-Wan's warm body against his back. His tension immediately began to drain away.

"You feel extraordinarily relaxed at the moment," his master observed. "Is that due to being bound, or because you've just recently woken up?"

"Kinda both," Anakin said. _And also because you're here,_ he mentally added, but decided against voicing that too. If this conversation took a nosedive and devolved into a lecture on attachment, Anakin was fully prepared to hurl himself out the window - which, all things considered, might be a more pleasant option than trying to actually come up with a Jedi Dogma Compliant reason for why he thought it was a good idea to spend multiple nights in a row physically restrained in his master's bed. 

"It feels nice," he settled for, figuring it was a safe enough place to start. 

Incredulity spiked through their bond. "How so?" Obi-Wan asked, and Anakin had to fight back an instinctive snappy retort. If Obi-Wan was truly looking to understand, then Anakin should give him at least some sort of non-flippant answer. And if the question was indeed some sort of trap regarding the karking Code...well...his master had always taught him to spring the trap.

Furthermore, Obi-Wan would probably pick up a sudden shift in Anakin's Force signature if he started flat-out lying, and truth be told, Anakin didn't _want_ to lie about this. That didn't mean he wanted to admit to everything either, so he needed an explanation that was true, but would at least somewhat jive with Jedi philosophy. Anakin closed his eyes, feeling the ever present hum of the Force reverberating throughout the room, echoing off every object, thrumming in the air, flowing through his body, through his master, through the bond between them. _Well there's a good place to start,_ he silently mused. 

"I'm usually hyper attuned to everything," Anakin began to explain. "I don't think it's normal for most people, or even most Jedi. Best I can figure, it's a side effect of how sensitive I am to the Force. It feels like everything is constantly buzzing and crackling around me, like I'm interconnected with all of it. It pulls my focus in a thousand different directions, and while it's saved both our asses on the battlefield more than a few times, and it's won me a couple of pod races, it makes it hard for me to tune things out and relax."

"And being restrained...helps with this?" Obi-Wan paused, sounding somewhat perplexed. "You do realize your shackles aren't Force inhibitors, correct?"

"Ugh, yes! I wouldn't let you get anywhere near me with them if they were! It's not...it's not anything like that. It's…okay, you know how when you're trying to pick up a comm signal, and a bunch of other signals are interfering with it, it gets hard for you to zero in on the one you're trying to hear?"

"Mmm-hmm," Obi-Wan hummed against the back of Anakin's neck. 

"That's how everything normally feels to me. But if you tinker with your comm to filter out the other signals and amplify the one you're trying to hear, it gets a lot easier, right?"

"I suppose so."

"It's like that. The shackles are heavy enough that I constantly feel them when they're on, and even if I start to get used to them, they pull against me as soon as I move. I can't really forget they're there. I mean, even when I get used to the way they feel, I still feel them. It drove me crazy when we first started doing this, but once I got past the fear, I realized it keeps my mind focused on my physical body and not wandering everywhere else. Sort of like grounding a circuit I guess. It keeps the electricity from just going all over the place." 

There was a silence from Obi-Wan, and Anakin found himself desperately hoping the explanation didn't sound too convoluted or just plain crazy to someone who wasn't constantly elbow deep in electronics. 

"Ah," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. "The Room of a Thousand Fountains is popular for a similar reason. Many Jedi find the sound of moving water helps them focus their minds and allows them to more easily dismiss peripheral distractions. Perhaps it's a similar phenomenon for you, but centralized on your sense of touch rather than sound." 

That...actually made a lot of sense. Okay, this was going better than expected. Maybe Obi-Wan wasn't bad at understanding electronics after all, and Anakin was just really bad at understanding being a Jedi. 

"Could be," Anakin offered, thinking more about the lush wonderland of flowing water that had so thoroughly captivated him as a wide-eyed desert kid, fresh off Tatooine. "The sound doesn't really help me, but I tried sitting in the water there once, right under one of the waterfalls so it was pouring on my head. I think it was starting to work, but then Monster Windu appeared out of nowhere, yanked me out of the fountain, and gave me his usual bullshit lecture about tradition, respect, and how he needed to prove to the entire Order he's got a ten-parsec stick up his ass."

Obi-Wan let out a quick bark of laughter, which he poorly attempted to disguise as a scandalized gasp, and it came out as a choked snort instead. Anakin couldn't help but grin. "I know, I know, you're going to tell me I give Master Windu too little credit. Fine. You're right. The stick's got to be at least twenty parsecs. Possibly more. And that's the diameter, not the length. You'd need a nav computer and several dozen astromechs with long-range sensor capabilities to even begin to measure the length." 

Obi-Wan had clearly given up trying to disguise his amusement at this point, his body shaking with silent laughter. "Monster Windu?" he asked incredulously. 

_Oops_. Anakin hadn't realized he'd let that part slip out. "Tatooine kid thing," he said hastily - meaning, of course, Tatooine _slave_ kid thing. _Shit. Please don't let Obi-Wan press this one._

A pulse of warm affection quickly echoed through their bond, along with a gentle wave of reassurance. "Yes, I remember when Mace told me about that," Obi-Wan said. "The incident with the fountain, I mean. Not the...um...extra appendage he was supposedly carrying, or any creative nicknames you might have gifted him." 

Anakin felt the tension drain from his body as he fought to suppress a laugh of his own, sending a warm pulse of gratitude back to his master. "What'd Windu tell you?" Anakin asked. "That he caught me diving for Sith holocrons and tainting the fountains with my scary fledgling dark-side powers?" There was far more bitterness in the statement than Anakin had intended, and he was relieved to feel a second pulse of serenity and reassurance flood through the bond.

"No, dear one," Obi-Wan said softly, grasping the chain on Anakin's wrists, holding it in the way the younger man had come to find so strangely comforting. "Just that you'd been playing in the fountains, and that you might need to be instructed in proper temple etiquette. I told him you'd likely never seen so much water before in your life, and that I was delighted to hear you were reacting to a new experience with curiosity and enthusiasm rather than fear."

_Oh._. Anakin sent another pulse of gratitude back through the bond, this time laced with amusement. "I bet he didn't like that too much."

"Not particularly," Obi-Wan said dismissively, "but his opinion wasn't particularly high on my priority list at the time. Nor is it now," he added, running a finger over the smooth surface of Anakin's mechanical arm.

"So what'd he say then?" Anakin asked.

"There was not much he really _could_ say, given he'd done nothing but complain about your supposed anger and fear since the moment you arrived. When I pointed out to him that he'd come to my door to report the exact opposite, he simply stood there and looked at me."

"Looked at you? Looked at you how?"

Wry amusement spiked in Obi-Wan's Force signature. "Like he had a rather large stick up his arse, now that you mention it." 

The amount of pure joy that swelled in Anakin was probably quite un-Jedi-like, which only brought him _more_ joy as he imagined the look on Windu's face should he somehow find out Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was speculating about the size of the stick up his butt.

Obi-Wan gave the chain on Anakin's wrists a gentle tug, allowing his hand to rest lightly across it. "How else does this affect you? Does it do you any good other than allowing you to tune out background noise in the Force? Is this why you still feel relaxed, despite discussing a topic that normally leaves you grunting and snorting like an agitated bantha?" 

Anakin couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. And…" oh, the hell with it. If Obi-Wan was going to joke about a fellow Jedi Master's supposed stick up the butt, surely he had no intention of casting stones at Anakin for answering a question he'd been directly asked. "And also because you're here. I just feel really comfortable and safe right now."

"Safe how?"

Anakin tensed for a moment, but Obi-Wan's tone was merely curious, not accusatory or disapproving. Anakin cautiously pushed forward. "I feel like I always have to fight everyone and everything. It's not because I enjoy being a pain in the ass on purpose...I mean, that's definitely a perk of the job, but it's not the main reason." Anakin swore he could feel Obi-Wan's exasperated yet slightly amused sigh in the Force as he continued. "Either the Council's got their heads up their asses about one thing or another, or we're running off to some hostile planet to try and keep a bunch of idiots from blowing each other up, or the galaxy at large is just karking with me, or you, or both of us. I always have to be ready to jump on the offensive, or rise to some sort of challenge, or take control of a situation if it all goes to shit."

Anakin paused and waited for the inevitable rebuke, but all he felt was patient encouragement in his master's Force signature, gently prodding him to continue. Anakin took in the comforting combination of Obi-Wan's warm embrace and the sturdy bindings on his limbs, freeing him from responsibility. "It's a relief to be able to let go of that sometimes, but I've never really felt like I could before."

"So you've finally come to find serenity in forgoing action in favor of inaction?"

Anakin wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Well when you put it like _that_ , it makes me want to take these things off immediately, run through the temple at warp speed, head straight for the hangar, and go flying through the Room of a Thousand Fountains on a motorized jetpack with the muffler taken off." 

Obi-Wan's chest shook with amusement and Anakin sent a wave of affection through their bond. 

"Don't worry. I won't do it. At least not right now. I had to dismantle my jetpack to build a water speeder powerful enough to win a somewhat-legal Gungan race, and it'll take me at least a few hours to put it back together." 

"Anakin! I'm not entirely sure I want to know whether or not you're joking."

"You probably don't. But if it makes you feel any better, I won. Dinner at Dex's on me tonight? I've still got a little bit of the prize money left. I spent most of it bribing the poor padawans who got stuck with guard duty not to tell anyone they saw me traipsing out of the temple with a tricked out water speeder."

Obi-Wan groaned through the silent laughter still wracking his body. 

"It's okay, Master. I really am only joking about that part. The padawans said I didn't need to pay them if I'd sneak them out later and show them how to build illicit water speeders."

"Anakin!"

The blond grinned, craning his head down and nuzzling his cheek against Obi-Wan's hand. "Calm down, old man. I'd teach you too, but I wouldn't want to give you any more grey hairs."

"I'm surprised all of them aren't grey by now," Obi-Wan muttered against the back of Anakin's neck. 

Anakin snuggled closer into Obi-Wan's arms, the chains on his cuffs softly jingling with the movement, bringing his attention back to the initial topic of conversation. "Oh yeah, promoting legally questionable speeder racing isn't what I'm supposed to be confessing to right now, is it?"

"I suppose not," Obi-Wan said casually, "but we can negotiate the price of my silence later."

"A burger at Dex's is a fair price, right? I'll even throw in an honest answer to the question you were trying to ask me before I derailed the conversation twice in a row. Deal?"

"Sounds reasonable enough." Obi-Wan's voice was light with amusement, but his arms tightened around Anakin in a silent show of support. 

Anakin sent a wave of gratitude through the bond and flexed his wrists against the cuffs binding him, trying to focus his thoughts. He'd really rather just relax and enjoy the feeling of being here, but the affectionate, open rapport of the conversation was enjoyable in its own right, and it wouldn't last if he shut his friend out. 

"Being restrained used to scare me because it made me feel powerless," he explained, "like I was being conquered and controlled against my will. As soon as I heard, or felt, or saw chains on my body, my brain switched gears and it was...terrifying. All-consuming. It tweaked every fight-or-flight instinct I've got." 

Obi-Wan laced his fingers through Anakin's but remained silent, giving his friend time to parse his thoughts into words.

"I thought it was just a matter of bad memories, and if I could practice getting my brain to not automatically associate being restrained with needing to completely freak out, that would be the end of it. " Anakin paused and absently chewed his bottom lip, trying to think of better way to explain it. "You know, it's sort of like rewiring a speeder to bypass a faulty circuit. If you dismantle the automatic transmission and make it manual instead, there won't be any surprise gearshifts when you're trying to fly it. It won't decide out of nowhere it wants to throw itself into full reverse and send you off a cliff."

Obi-Wan let out a sharp puff of breath. "For Force sake, Anakin! Circuits, speeders...you're not a machine!"

Anakin laughed and wiggled his mechanical fingers. "Not most of me, anyway. Now hush up and let me talk. Not all of us are fluent in philosophical poodoo like you are, and this is the only way I know how to explain it." 

Obi-Wan's fingers curled around Anakin's metal ones, and there was an unmistakable air of amusement in the older man's voice. "Sincerest apologies, then, for the impractical nature of my native tongue. Am I to assume the rewiring was a success?"

Anakin grinned, bringing his Master's hand to his lips so Obi-Wan could feel his expression, even if he couldn't see it.

"Uh...Yes and no? I didn't bypass the circuit so much as reprogram it on accident."

Anakin felt Obi-Wan raise his eyebrows against the back of his neck.

"Being bound like this still makes me feel helpless, but…" He searched for the right words. "...it's comforting instead of frightening. Restraints used to freak me out, but it's completely different since I've gotten used to you being the one who's putting them on me." 

The moment it was out of his mouth, Anakin felt his heart rate speed up as he realized with horror what he'd just admitted. "Or maybe it's all part of some nefarious plot and you secretly mind-tricked me, who knows," he chattered nervously, the unexpected level of vulnerability kicking his defenses into gear. "You know, conditioning me to enjoy being chained up, sending comfort and serenity through our bond when you were first putting these things on me." He shifted his ankles, tugging the chain against Obi-Wan's leg. "It was all part of some sinister plan to get me to quit wandering around the apartment and dissecting anything mechanical I could get my hands on, admit it."

Warm reassurance flooded their bond, along with the soft, gentle amusement from before. "Alright, Anakin, you've got me. You've uncovered my sinister plan." 

"I knew it all along," Anakin smiled, relaxing as he felt his master return the tug on his ankles. 

The truth of the matter was, Anakin had come to associate the restraints with being held, loved, and praised. Obi-Wan's gentle touches and encouraging words, his psychic caresses every time he snapped the cuffs around Anakin's limbs, had created an entirely new mental circuit. Being bound in Obi-Wan's arms wasn't a frightening loss of power, it was permission to let go, relax, and just _be_.


End file.
